The Wankhede Effect!

There is something special about the Wankhede stadium. Something that is just synonymous with only this ground. It has bad seating arrangements for spectators, it has stinking toilets, it has people charging exorbitant prices at the food stalls, the pitch too has been criticized some times but this is not what is special to this venue.

It's the atmosphere. It's the spectators who come and support their team on. It's the noise decibels these spectators produce. It's the energy that these spectators manage to fuse into the players on field. It's the fun these spectators manage to have even if their team is not winning. This is what makes Wankhede the fortress it is.

Even with imbalance between the good and the bad inside the stadium, one can see Mumbaikars flooding the ground for every international match or for that matter any match where they can see their icons do what they do best. Hit the ball.

The IPL match between the Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers this Sunday was no different. The stands started filling up hours before the match was to start. The decibel levels reached their peak even before the first ball was bowled. Every movement on field cheered on. It was a gala affair and can be termed as a concert put together for the audience with a big three hour performance by the cricketers.

The Mumbai spectators are never afraid to let their opinions be heard. Be it the cricketers, their shots, the substitutes, the ball boys, the cheerleaders or for that matter any random guy walking beyond the fence.

The cheerleaders (better known as 'Champa' by the spectators) did their best to keep the spectators' eyeballs working. There actually came a time when the spectators were perplexed as to whether to see the match or the cheerleaders, many preferred the latter during the unlikely boring moments in the game.

The Mexican wave doing its rounds around the stadium, the Mumbai Indians' anthem being sung, the personal comments towards the player fielding in the outfield, every ball, every shot being cheered, it is all in the game for these cricket loving fanatics of Mumbai. For them it is an experience that cannot be matched by any thing else.

The kind of crowd that the wankhede attracts varies from the old to the young, You can see the father- son duo, you can see the young couple sitting next to the old ones or just a group of young guys who have come to watch their stars and also the group of girls who have come to see some 'Hot Bods'.

It's the spectators who make Wankhede what it is. The attitudes of these people change once they walk through the narrow gates. This is what Wankhede does to them. Cheers to many more matches at the Wankhede.